IRVINE, Calif. – Since bursting
on the scene in 2009 as “a new way to roll,” the
funky Soul urban passenger vehicle – and an
accompanying trio of music-loving hamsters – has
become a genuine phenomenon, with U.S. sales of the
iconic people mover increasing every year. Now, with
“geek chic” newly added to the dictionary, the
latest installment of Kia Motors America’s (KMA)
award-winning ad campaign finds the hamsters
inhabiting a high-tech, high-energy laboratory and
unleashing their inner mad scientists to create the
most innovative and eco-friendly Soul yet.

Set to
the infectious beat of Maroon5’s never-before-heard
song “Animals,” sparks fly and jaws drop when a
surge of electricity leads to the discovery of a
furry new friend and the all-electric, zero
emissions 2015 Soul EV. As part of the
multi-platform “Fully Charged” campaign, Kia.com is
exclusively offering 200,000 free downloads1 of
“Animals” before its release on iTunes®2.

Created by David&Goliath, Kia's
advertising agency of record3, an extended cut of
“Fully Charged” is available now at Kia.com/KiaSoul
before the spot’s broadcast debut during the MTV
Video Music Awards on August 24.

“From hip-hop to pop, the
hamsters have always had an ear for music and their
paws on the pulse of pop culture. This year, the
smartly dressed trio are breaking new music from
Grammy Award-winners Maroon5 and celebrating the
expansion of Kia’s line of eco-conscious vehicles by
sharing ‘Animals’ for free at Kia.com,” said Michael
Sprague, executive vice president of sales and
marketing, KMA. “Kia is recognized as one of the 50
Best Global Green Brands4, and with the Soul EV
about to shake things up in a category not known for
head-turning good looks, the hamsters are out to
prove that eye-catching style and eco-efficiency are
no longer mutually exclusive.”

Soul Advertising Background
With a wide variety of soundtracks ranging from the
classic hip-hop track "The Choice Is Yours" by Black
Sheep and LMFAO's smash hit "Party Rock Anthem" to
last year’s “Applause” by Lady Gaga, Kia’s
music-loving hamsters have become some of the
most-watched advertising icons of all time, and the
Soul’s ongoing popularity is a driving force behind
increased awareness and consideration for the Kia
brand as a whole. Earlier spots depicted city and
suburban streets inhabited exclusively by hamsters
who mindlessly run in place inside their exercise
wheels and cleverly compared "This," the funky and
uniquely styled Soul, to "That," a number of boring
and mundane appliances on wheels, cardboard boxes or
hamster wheels.

With more than 20 million
views, 2011's "Share Some Soul" was the third
most-watched automotive ad in YouTube history at the
time of the campaign launch, and later that year,
the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame named
the hamsters as their first-ever "Rookie of the
Year."

"Over the last six years, the
Kia Soul and the hamsters have evolved together,”
said Colin Jeffery, chief creative officer, D&G. “In
2013, the Soul was totally transformed, so it made
sense for the Hamsters to become just as sleek and
sophisticated. This year, we were tasked with
introducing Kia’s first electric vehicle in the
U.S., and to suit their smart new ride, the hamsters
started hitting the books instead of the gym. Smart
is the new sexy, and the hamsters are using their
wits, and a fortuitous lab accident, to their
advantage.”

All-New 2015 Soul EV (#KiaSoul)
Scheduled to go on sale in the third quarter, the
all-electric, zero-emissions Soul EV is the
centerpiece of Kia’s Clean Mobility program and the
brand’s first-ever mass-marketed electric vehicle.
While it retains the funky style and functionality
Soul is known for, the EV variant introduces new and
more aerodynamic styling cues and is the first
vehicle in the world to receive Underwriters
Laboratory’s (UL) environmental validation for its
integration of 10 percent bio-based material in the
interior. A state-of-the-art 27 kWh lithium ion
polymer battery powers an 81 kW electric motor,
producing 210 lb.-ft. of torque, which drives front
wheels and is expected to yield a range of
approximately 80-100 miles of real-world driving on
a full charge, with internal testing and evaluation
results exceeding 100 miles in some instances.